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Students can use trello.com to track progress on a project. It's a free, super easy to use project management software.

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Students can use trello.com to track progress on a project. It's a free, super easy to use project management software.

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Find Someone Who - Students have a few minutes to answer problems they know how. Then, students get up and "find someone who" can solve, and explain, how to solve the problems they couldn't solve. They are also able to help others solve the problem(s) they knew how to explain and solve.

Expert - The teacher gives students individual problems to solve. If a student struggles, the teacher can help. After all the students have their work, they rotate amongst each other and share their solution and steps to solve their expert problem until the worksheet is complete.

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Great way to get students involved with one another, working together to learn and share

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Use the Google Classroom app for Cold Calling.  Go to Google Classroom, then in the lower right hand corner, go to people.  Then in the upper right hand corner, click on the shapes.  

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Use the Google Classroom app for Cold Calling.  Go to Google Classroom, then in the lower right hand corner, go to people.  Then in the upper right hand corner, click on the shapes.  

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Discussion boards in LMS, i.e. Schoology, Canvas, etc.

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Discussion boards in LMS, i.e. Schoology, Canvas, etc.

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I've found that in my inclusion classes, cold calling can be a bit difficult. Instead, I've given certain students some envelopes with questions at the start of class. They are able to anticipate when and what they will be called on, and can even check with me ahead of time in class so they can get more confidence when sharing their answer to the whole class. Students in class periods later on actually would hope to be the one who would get an envelope.

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This gives students a vocabulary for showing respect and affirming their contributions.

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This is a great way for to guide students HOW to begin explaining themselves.

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3rd Grade Music - mallet demonstration. Rally coaches could support one another to build community and create a cooperative learning experience. Incorporate talk moves to support communication.

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3rd Grade Music - mallet demonstration. Rally coaches could support one another to build community and create a cooperative learning experience. Incorporate talk moves to support communication.

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There's a tension between districts' curriculum guides and offering students choice in a more long-term activity like reading a novel. This strategy offers a way to help implement choices in a concrete way and in an efficient way that helps students make an informed choice, but also see examples of student contributions that are valued.

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I could use this to have more interactivity, voice and accountability with reading children's book in Spanish.  Also, there is choice because they can choose their book.

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I could use this to have more interactivity, voice and accountability with reading children's book in Spanish.  Also, there is choice because they can choose their book.

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What Is Cooperative Learning? 5 Strategies for your Classroom

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Cooperative Learning is an instructional method in which students work in small groups to accomplish a common learning goal with the teacher guidance.

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Last year we visited project-based Katherine Smith Elementary School , a New Tech Network school in the Evergreen School District in East San Jose. We had to cap our list, but noted 18 things that stood out to us about this compelling place to teach and learn. Recently, we brought another group to experience Katherine Smith and found an unbelievable amount of learning energy spilling out of every classroom.
We saw young engineers building solar powered fans (right) and entrepreneurs mixing new batches of slime (a hot selling Shark Tank Business startup-below right), and students flipping classroom tables to create a theatre backdrop.
We could share with you more about the evidence of project-based learning that permeated the campus, the classrooms we saw that were bursting with energy and enthusiasm as students prepared for an upcoming exhibition night, or about how every teacher expressed how much they enjoyed working at Katherine Smith. Instead, we want to focus on just one aspect of this school that really stood out; the student ambassadors-by far the best example we've seen in thousands of school visits.

Student Ambassadors

Students at Katherine Smith apply to the student ambassador program and if accepted, are responsible for guiding and touring visitors around their campus. There are school ambassadors and classroom ambassadors. As you tour the school grounds, a school ambassador also coordinates and works with a classroom ambassador to let you go in visit classrooms.

Principal Aaron Brengard wrote about the first time he saw a student ambassador program at a Napa New Tech High School and how he enthusiastically brought back the idea to his own staff to try. He mentions several goals he has for ambassadors in his program, including increased student agency and social belonging. We witnessed how student ambassadors were meeting these goals in real-time, but wanted to call attention to 6 other takeaways.

6 Takeaways from the Katherine Smith Student Ambassador Program

1. Students were confident in leading. The ambassadors were quick to respond to questions, they looked you in the eye, shook hands, spoke loudly and clearly, and were remarkably well informed about where they had been, what they were learning, and where they were headed. They also were extremely comfortable discussing and working with students outside of their grade-level (younger students with older and vice versa).

2. Students had real purpose and tasks. Every ambassador had a list of different places around the school and pieces of information that they wanted to cover in the tour. As we walked around, students checked off their lists and discussed with their partner ambassador where to head next.

3. Students worked to reiterate. On our first trip, we did not notice an element of feedback. On this visit, students asked for feedback and takeaways after we finished touring. They let us know it was a practice that they just started to incorporate. Students also iterate and customize their tours , depending on the group or visitor they will be leading.

4. Students had autonomy and voice. Principal Aaron Brengard, while he was available to students for questions and he debriefed with them post tour, did not appear to prep students about what to say. He clearly wanted the students to lead the tours. He also invited them to be a part of our debrief and lunch, sitting alongside other teachers and staff (on this day it included Evergreen Schools Superintendent Kathy Gomez).

5. Students were working on academic goals. As we walked around the Katherine Smith Campus, one of the ambassadors carried around an iPad and used a digital timer to keep track of time. Students also needed to exercise their presentation skills (speaking, listening, and facilitating) as they showed us around.

6. Students were working on personal goals. Maybe one of the most powerful takeaways from having a student ambassador was hearing why they each wanted to be one. A student who was working hard to improve in her speech classes decided that public speaking to new people would be a good way for her to practice.

The student ambassador program at Katherine Smith also very much reflects a high-quality mini-project (see Buck Institute for Education Gold Standard PBL ) because several student goals and essential project design elements are incorporated. Students had voice and choice, they had an authentic task, received critique and feedback and reflected after the experience.
Principal Brengard left us with a closing thought, which only further validated what we witnessed and reinforced our support of the student ambassador program:

"Something happened for us when we realized we are not preparing students for a real world some time in the future. The real world was right in front of them now. The Student Ambassadors are just one example. We've had over 1,000 visitors in the last two years. Ambassadors support an authentic need. They are not just my students - they are my partners."

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Student Ambassadors Build Leadership Skills While Showcasing School

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Last year we visited project-based Katherine Smith Elementary School , a New Tech Network school in the Evergreen School District in East San Jose. We had to cap our list, but noted 18 things that stood out to us about this compelling place to teach and learn.

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Prompting students to use physical gestures like high fives in the classroom helps build a sense of community.

All good teachers strive to build a sense of community in their classrooms, and they know from experience that creating and strengthening bonds between students isn't a one-time event. In the real world and in school, fellowship and mutual respect among peers are fostered-or frayed-over days and months, not during the first week.

Because class time is precious and passes too quickly, strategies that leverage small moments in instruction have great potential for helping students gel as a community.

Group Salutes

One quick, low-prep, high-impact approach to cultivating community is something we call Group Salutes. A salute is a gesture of recognition or respect when people meet or say goodbye. In the classroom, a Group Salute is a teacher-prompted social or physical gesture shared between two or more students at the beginning or end of an interaction. Group Salutes can be used with students of all ages, including ones who are shy or struggle with social skills, and English language learners.

At the outset of an interaction, Group Salutes help break the ice and lead students to connect in a non-academic way. At or toward the end of a dialogue or task, they provide a sense of closure or accomplishment.

Opening Group Salutes

Have students introduce themselves: "Tell your partner your first, middle, and last name" or "Share your birthday with the group."

Ask them to share favorites: "Before starting, share your favorite ice cream flavor" or "To begin, tell your group mates how spicy you like your salsa."

Give them options to choose from: "Rainy days-thumbs up or down?" or "Poll your group: pizza or tacos?"

Closing Group Salutes

Remind them to say goodbye: "Say, 'See ya real soon!'" or "Say goodbye in [another language]. Here's how: ________."

Ask them to express gratitude: "Finish by saying, 'Thank you for working with me.'"

Have them wrap up the lesson: Have group leaders end a discussion with "So, in summary, we think _____."

Invite them to celebrate: "Whisper to your team, 'We did it!'" or "Turn to your partner and say, 'Good job, partner!'"

Group Salutes can also involve physical interactions such as handshakes, fist bumps, one- or two-handed high fives or low fives, or hand claps. Variations that don't involve contact include an actual salute, a wave, or a quick individual dance move ("When you're done, face each other and dab or floss").

Combining oral and physical responses works too. For instance, ask students to huddle up and put their hands in the middle, like a sports team, and repeat a phrase or chant. Or say, "Raise your pen or pencil in the air" and follow with a teacher- or student-led toast. Teachers should use prompts that make sense with their own and their students' personalities.

Benefits of Group Salutes

Group Salutes are not simply clear signals for starting and stopping activities-they're a subtle and effective strategy for teaching students how to exercise courtesy, be cordial, and use good manners. In fact, the Latin root of salutation, salutare, means to "pay one's respects to," which is essentially what the teacher is asking students to do through words and gestures.

Evidence from real-world situations suggests that Group Salutes can contribute to team success. A study produced by the University of California, Berkeley, found that the NBA teams whose players touched the most (via high fives, fist bumps, etc.) in an early-season game had the best records for the season. The researchers attributed this to the increased trust, goodwill, and camaraderie experienced by the players.

And Google's Project Aristotle found that the company's most successful teams were those with a sense of psychological safety-those whose team members trusted one another enough to take risks without fear of judgment. In the classroom, Group Salutes are a concrete step toward establishing that kind of trust.

We're not suggesting that every interaction between students should involve a Group Salute. Students of all ages appreciate a balance of predictable and novel routines. Responding to the same social or physical cues day in and day out can get stale or feel robotic.

For that reason, consider using Group Salutes frequently with tasks that involve short interactions in the beginning of the school year; later on you can reserve them for tasks that involve more sustained or in-depth peer interaction or collaboration. Or do the opposite: Use Group Salutes sparingly at the beginning of the year and ramp up to launching or closing most quick connections (turn and talks, or Think-Pair-Shares) with them.

We recommend keeping Group Salutes brief, fresh, and age-appropriate. This might involve giving a time limit ("You have 10 seconds each to share whether you've seen and liked any Star Wars movies"), asking students to contribute ideas for prompts, or having a volunteer tell the class what to do or say.

The long-term goal is for students to use Group Salutes on their own, without prompting. When they transfer the underlying social and affective skills to their everyday interactions, we can be confident that we're building a community.

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Prompting students to use physical gestures like high fives in the classroom helps build a sense of community.

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Cold Calling: The #1 strategy for inclusive classrooms – remote and in person.

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Based on my experience working with hundreds of teachers in numerous contexts, I’d suggest that one of the strategies with the biggest impact on the overall effectiveness of lessons is the ro…

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What Is Cooperative Learning? 5 Strategies for your Classroom

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Cooperative Learning is an instructional method in which students work in small groups to accomplish a common learning goal with the teacher guidance.

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Choice reading supports lifelong learning, but teachers often need help making the universe of books accessible to students.

Allison Shelley for the Alliance for Excellent Education

When kids get to regularly pick reading material that genuinely interests them, they are far more likely to be happy, voluntary, and even voracious readers-both in school and at home.

But effectively building choice into classroom reading means striking a delicate balance between choice and assigned reading. Students need to spend time analyzing the elements of good writing, for example, but they also need a wide variety of diverse, fun reading that spans genres. It's the latter, for the most part, that keeps them invested and connected to the joy and magic of reading.

Choosing a book isn't always as easy as it sounds. There are students who don't have access to libraries and those who have access to them but don't have experience using them. Then there's the paradox of choice, a phenomenon where an overabundance of choices can inhibit committing to a single one. Same thing with books: Literally millions of options can stymie even the most eager readers.

Like any skill, choosing books requires some scaffolding-tools and techniques that kids and their teachers can deploy to make it easier. As Marilyn Pyle writes in MiddleWeb, sustained practice can be nurtured in any number of ways, from helping kids find and choose book clubs that match genres that attract them to reading for a few minutes every day in classes. Figuring out what to read, she says, is "a skill of lifelong readers. Unfortunately, it's not otherwise cultivated in most children's school careers."

For teachers, this means yet another skill to teach and another activity to manage-both of which can be challenging when students are reading different texts, if you're not deeply familiar with particular genres or if you struggle to keep on top of which YA fiction titles have just won awards.

We've done a little digging to find online resources and tips that can help teachers introduce students to new books and support sharing the love-without becoming overwhelmed themselves.

Loose Canon

Created by a novelist and former high school teacher, Loose Canon offers a browsing function that filters its robust book list in any number of ways-not just by grade level but by topics from Sports to Ecology and Classics to LGBTQ, so if you want to search classics that are also about sports, you can do that: filter for "sixth grade," "classics," and "sports," and presto, eight titles appear, ranging from Mike Lupica's Heat to Edward Bloor's Tangerine, each with a blurb from the publisher.

Loose Canon also helps teachers manage book clubs that can expand beyond a single classroom to include an entire school, and even track students' reading year by year with what the site calls a "reading résumé" that captures each student's reading path. The platform also features assessment ideas and classroom activities, and as of this writing, it's offering free six-month memberships to teachers.

Epic Reads

Publisher HarperCollins produces Epic Reads, a slick site dedicated to its young adult (ages 12-18) titles. You can search among hundreds of series (e.g., Vampire Diaries and Dumplin') or among clever lists ( 34 YA Book Titles That Are Mind-Blowingly Creative) as well as those that are surprisingly niche ( 22 YA Books Featuring a Non-European Influenced Fantasy World).

Epic Reads' many playful quizzes entice with age-appropriate snark ( Can You Guess These YA Books From Our Boring AF Descriptions?), pandemic references ( Stock Your Pantry and We'll Tell You Which Character You're Quarantined With), and empowerment ( Your Favorite Feminist Quote Will Tell You Which Feminist YA Book You Need to Read).

Epic Reads' videos are engaging, too: In addition to book trailers, it publishes video series such as Book Nerd Problems ("When Your Favorite Author Retweets You" and "Liking a Character Other People Don't") and gossipy Epic Adaptations (news on movie and TV adaptations, like who's been cast in the Netflix version of LGBTQ graphic novel favorite Heartstopper).

Book Club for Kids

Book Club for Kids is a podcast created and hosted by public radio journalist and author Kitty Felde. Students can browse episodes in which Felde discusses particular books with groups of children who have read them and sometimes hosts guest experts as well as authors. For example, with , the first book in the best-selling series, a group of children from a fifth-grade class in Washington, DC, discuss their love for the first book-and what it's like to live in a city rife with spies. "Celebrity reader" U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, joins in the fun by reading a passage from the book, and the book's author, Stuart Gibbs, shares what inspired him to write it.

Book Club for Kids is designed to be contagious, with kids serving as both contributors and consumers of the content. A group of kids can listen to an episode and become inspired to read and discuss the featured book, but it also plants the seed of an idea: They can choose and read a book themselves and become guests on the show.

Flordeliza L. Cadiz Marks, a library specialist also in Washington, DC, says that when elementary school kids listen to a Book Club for Kids podcast, they tend to chat about it with their friends, and that word of mouth can help guide reluctant readers. "Listening to what other students are saying about a particular chapter book prompts them to borrow the book and read it as best they can."

A third-grade teacher in Los Angeles, Joe Rodriguez, routinely uses Book Club for Kids on "Podcast Tuesdays." "I use Book Club for Kids to select independent reading, and I make sure to have books from the podcasts we listen to in our classroom library," he says. Rodriguez's students were also guests on a Book Club for Kids podcast about the book Spy Mice, by Heather Vogel Frederick.

Homegrown Solutions

Of course there are also ways to use various online tools that are not necessarily designed to support choice reading. Marks uses the drag-and-drop video maker Animoto to create book trailers like those an author would create for marketing, but just for her students to get them excited about new titles.

Edutopia contributor Kasey Short, a sixth-grade ELA and social studies teacher, uses her iPad to create videos in which she covers book choices; students can view them on their own time. She pairs these videos with collages she makes with the Notability app, its pages filled with a dozen or more book covers from books rooted in the same idea or theme. Together, the videos and collages help students zero in on books they'd like to read solo that are related to whole-class readings. For example, for a theme called "The Power of Love," each student chose from a list of books that explore the power of love and also read Elie Wiesel's Night as a class.

Laura Milligan, also an Edutopia contributor, notes that "Padlet is awesome for letting kids post about books they are excited about and want to share." She also uses BombBomb, a video messaging tool that's free for teachers, to create book teasers (similar to book trailers) for her students. With her Instagram, she reaches parents who are on the platform and follow her to get their buy-in. "I like to have kids share their recommendations, and then I might share their reviews of books along with mine," she says. "I read a lot of YA and middle-grade books, and my page serves as a cool way to connect with other readers, parents, and teachers."

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Choice reading supports lifelong learning, but teachers often need help making the universe of books accessible to students. Allison Shelley for the Alliance for Excellent Education When kids get to regularly pick reading material that genuinely interests them, they are far more likely to be happy, voluntary, and even voracious readers-both in school and at home.

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What Is Cooperative Learning? 5 Strategies for your Classroom

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Cooperative Learning is an instructional method in which students work in small groups to accomplish a common learning goal with the teacher guidance.

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60-Second Strategy: Respond, Reflect, and Review

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Teachers at King Middle School in Portland, Maine, make these sentence starters easily accessible by taping a talk moves printout to students' desks. King Middle School developed these talk moves inspired by Classroom Discussions: Using Math Talk to Help Students Learn, Grades 1-6, Second Edition, written by Suzanne H. Chapin, Catherine O'Connor, and Nancy Canavan Anderson (Math Solutions, 2009).

This video is part of our How Learning Happens series, which explores teaching practices grounded in the science of learning and human development.

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Encouraging Academic Conversations With Talk Moves

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Sentence starters that students use to join a class discussion encourage both academic thinking and social connectedness.